The locals take the stage at the Bathurst 12 Hour Bronze practice!
In an exciting start to the event, the 40-minute practice session kicked off without a hitch. Leading the pack was the talented B. Hobson, who clocked an impressive 2:05.3176s in the GWR Australia-run RAM Motorsport Mercedes-AMG. But here's where it gets interesting... Hobson's time was just 0.0225s ahead of the BMW M4 driven by C. Ruan, creating an intense battle for the top spot.
Local hero Brad Schumacher, racing at his home circuit, secured the third-fastest time in his Audi R8. The #27 Mercedes-AMG, shared by E. Barrichello and I. James, finished fourth, closely followed by Kenny Habul in the #75 Mercedes-AMG, representing the 75 Express team.
"We're feeling pretty satisfied," shared team owner-driver Garth Walden. "The car is performing well, and both Brett and I had a solid run in the Bronze session. We might make some adjustments to fine-tune the car, but we're confident and comfortable with our progress so far."
And this is the part most people miss... Walden's team is aiming for a class win, and if they manage to sneak into the top 10 overall, it would be an incredible achievement. But with so many talented cars and drivers in the mix, the competition is fierce. "You never know in racing," Walden added. "We'll focus on the class win first and see where our journey takes us."
Practice 3 at the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour is set to begin at 2:10 pm AEDT, and the excitement is building. Will the locals maintain their strong showing, or will the competition shake things up? Stay tuned to find out!
Results from Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour Practice 2 (Bronze drivers):
| Pos | Car | Driver | Car Class | Laps | Lap Diff |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 45 | B. Hobson/G. Walden | Mercedes-AMG GT3 PAM | 17 | 2:05.3176 |
| 2 | 89 | M. Oosten/C. Ruan | BMW M4 GT3 EVO BRO | 17 | 2:05.3401 | 0.0225 |
| 3 | 55 | Brad Schumacher (AUS) | Audi RB LMS GT3 Evo PRO | 16 | 2:05.3530 | 0.0354 |
| 4 | 27 | E. Barrichello/I. James | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO BRO | 16 | 2:05.5620 | 0.2444 |
| 5 | 75 | Kenny Habul (AUS) | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO PRO | 16 | 2:05.9092 | 0.5916 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
What do you think? Will the locals dominate, or will an unexpected contender take the lead? Share your predictions and join the discussion in the comments below!
